Breastfeeding is a polarizing topic, especially with corporations pushing fake subsitutes and fewer than 4 percent of US hospitals providing adequate breastfeeding support to new mothers. But even those committed to breastfeeding can’t always do so themselves, so some parents have been turning to online, milk-sharing websites. A new study published in Pediatrics Magazine found that breast milk sold online is frequently contaminated. Apparently, getting breast milk from strangers can be scary for you and your baby.

How much breast milk is being purchased in the online sphere? It’s hard to know exactly, but Dr. Sarah Keim, lead investigator for the study, noted that in 2011 there were aboout 13,000 postings on the four main milk-sharing websites.

But why are women procuring breast milk online? Part of it has to do with the aversion to formula.The New York Timesreports:

“After a spate of research showing that breast milk protects infants from infections and other ailments, health care providers in recent years have strongly encouraged new mothers to abandon formula and to breast-feed. But this can be a difficult challenge. Parents who have adopted, for instance, or have had mastectomies — or who simply do not produce enough milk — often rely on donated or purchased breast milk.”

Those mothers who are unable to produce their own milk but want to breastfeed their babies are at a loss for what to do, and if they turn to milk-sharing websites, are at risk, as Keim points out. “Buying milk via the Internet poses numerous risks, and one cannot tell for sure that the milk one receives is safe. Because the consequences can be serious, buying milk online is not a good idea.”

Interestingly, there are official milk banks that parents can turn to. The first ever milk bank opened in Vienna, Austria. Thirteen such facilities exist in the United States. Each requires donors to be screened and milk must be pasturized.

The bottom line? If you’re milk-sharing, get it from a screened source.

“If you get milk from an unscreened sharer, you put your child at risk. I hate to say this to an informal sharer, because they are trying to do good. But they are playing a game of Russian roulette,” Kim Updegrove, president of the Human Milk Banking Association, told the New York Times.

]]>Baby Formula Manufacturer Putting GMOs to a Votehttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/baby-formula-manufacturer-putting-gmos-to-a-vote/
Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:00:02 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=11701Later this week, shareholders of Abbott Laboratories, makers of the popular Similac infant formula, PediaSure and other pediatric nutrition products, will vote on whether or not the company should adopt a non-GMO policy. Many of the ingredients used to make infant formula, including soy, corn, and dairy products, are derived from genetically modified crops. These […]

Later this week, shareholders of Abbott Laboratories, makers of the popular Similac infant formula, PediaSure and other pediatric nutrition products, will vote on whether or not the company should adopt a non-GMO policy.

Many of the ingredients used to make infant formula, including soy, corn, and dairy products, are derived from genetically modified crops. These plants have been genetically altered to produce pesticides internally or to be resistant to herbicides that would otherwise kill the plant. Opponents of GMOs fear that GMO foods have not been adequately tested for long-term health effects—especially for infants.

“Based on the body of existing research, nobody should be eating GMO foods, especially not babies,” says Charlotte Vallaeys, Policy Director at The Cornucopia Institute, a farm and food policy research group which joined with As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy group, to petition Abbot Laboratories shareholders to vote to ban GMOs from its infant formula.

“Until infant formula makers stop using GMO ingredients,” Vallaeys added, “hundreds of thousands of newborns, infants, and toddlers are unwitting participants in this huge, uncontrolled experiment with the health of the next generation. It’s time for formula makers to stop experimenting with the health of babies who consume their products.”

Consumer sentiment is increasingly siding against GMOs, as evidenced by California’s mandatory GMO labeling law, which narrowly lost in a state-wide vote last November, and the recent announcement by Whole Foods Market to require GMO labeling by 2018.

“Removing GMOs from nutritional products and infant formula in a timely manner has only upsides for Abbott,” said Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow. “We believe this is an opportunity to reduce risk to Abbott shareholders and position the company for the changing consumer attitudes towards GMOS that will likely result in regulatory reform and create demand for non-GMO crops in the United States. It is an opportunity to lead on this important issue.”

]]>Horizon Introduces Organic Infant Formulahttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/horizon-introduces-organic-infant-formula/
http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/horizon-introduces-organic-infant-formula/#commentsTue, 17 Jan 2006 16:25:35 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=59The folks at Horizon Organic are the first to admit that breastfeeding is the preferred way to feed a baby, but there often comes a time when mothers may choose—or need—to switch to formula. That’s why the company recently introduced Horizon Organic Infant Formula with Iron, which contains high-quality, certified organic fats, carbohydrates and proteins, […]

The folks at Horizon Organic are the first to admit that breastfeeding is the preferred way to feed a baby, but there often comes a time when mothers may choose—or need—to switch to formula.

That’s why the company recently introduced Horizon Organic Infant Formula with Iron, which contains high-quality, certified organic fats, carbohydrates and proteins, as well as the essential vitamins and minerals babies need. The formula meets all FDA requirements for healthy, full-term infants (not for those who are premature, low-birth-weight, immunocompromised, allergic to cow’s milk or its byproducts, or suffering from a condition that led to admission to a neonatal intensive care unit).

As with all milk-based infant formulas, Horizon’s organic variety is made with three cow’s milk derivatives: lactose, nonfat dry milk and whey protein concentrate. The difference, of course, is that Horizon’s cows feed on certified organic grain and hay, grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. The cows never receive synthetic growth hormones or antibiotics. They make milk “the natural way,” with full access to fresh air, clean water and pasture. All of the oils that provide the fats in Horizon’s formula are also organic.

The formula cans, made of stainless steel with an aluminum seal, are recyclable. Two sizes are available: 13.2 oz. (suggested retail: $15.49) and 27.6 oz. ($29.49).

Horizon Organic Infant Formula is currently available in California, Washington and Oregon at natural food stores, specialty retailers and select supermarkets. The company expects to go national in the near future.